Apple spiced oat cobbler- for one!

Breakfasts and desserts often become one and the same for me...that's because I like to be a little indulgent with my weekend breakfasts (breaking away from the weekday apple-oats) and I like to be healthy with my desserts!

Plus with many of my breakfast recipes you can simply add a little more sweetener if that's your thing without compromising the recipe at all.

I have made a few different versions of this cobbler.  First attempt was closely based on the breakfast cookie formula, and whilst it was ok, it didn't have the crumbly bite I was after, the characteristically crumbly cobbler topping to contrast the juicy fruit below.  I then made a coconut version with coconut flour and coconut flakes that worked really well. Coconut flour is light and can be quite drying but it does give the crumbly texture I was after, so I then took the concept further and merged the two...

...giving you a coconut oat cobbler! 

You can use a berry, apple or pear fruit base, or a mix of all three, just make sure you have a lots of liquid in your fruit mix as the coconut flour will absorb quite a lot of it. You can also add in a few seeds, nuts, chocolate chunks or whatever you fancy to the mix, I kept mine plain and simple for this experiment.

This recipe would be great multiplied and served in mini ramekins as a breakfast, snack or dessert at any time of the day.  Plus at only 5 minutes from start to finish and so many possible variations, you can't really go wrong.

Recipe: Apple oat cobbler

Ingredients

½ cup fresh or frozen fruit of choice- chopped into approx. 1 cm sized pieces

1 tsp ground chia plus 2 tbs fruit juice or sugar free jam*

¼ cup ground oats

2 tbs coconut flour

1 tbs desiccated coconut

Scant ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground chia

1 tbs coconut sugar/rapadura

1-2 tbs coconut oil

Pinch cinnamon

Method

Mix the fruit with the chia/juice or jam and spoon into the bottom of a small oven/microwave proof dish.

Mix remaining ingredients together rubbing the coconut through with fingers to from a crumbed dough that lightly holds together- use 1-3 tbs water as necessary to assist.

Add the dough crumbles to the top of the fruit mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon or vanilla bean if desired.

Microwave for 90 seconds or for a crisp golden top oven bake for up to 15 minutes at 180C.

*Note: Coconut flour is drying which gives a lovely crumbly cobbler topping as long as you make sure the fruit mixture below is very moist to start with as the addition of coconut flour will steal a moisture during cooking. Use jam or juice, the flavour of which will depend upon the nature of the fruit used.

Coconut-oak topping oven baked

Oatmeal topping cooked in the microwave.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Breakfast crumble crisp

 So many ideas…!

That often happens, I have one idea of something to I want to bake, which then gives rise to another version which then inspires another recipe idea, and then I have a brainwave to make an old recipe even better by using the new ideas…etc etc, you get the picture. Not that I’m complaining though, I simply wish I had even more time (and even more money to buy all these ingredients).

Yesterday I had one majorly successful recipe…a burger trial (with one more variation left to try to make sure it’s the best it can be) until I will unveil all to the world. However that was followed by one major disaster recipe….it was my basic nutty granola to stock up my snack supplies but I burnt it big time and it was not salvageable. Sad times.

Anyway, now onto breakfast; this one is so good, so simple and more like dessert than breakfast but just as good for you as my usual bowl of fruity oats. Make a big dish full and have it as breakfast and then dessert in the evening! Perfect.

Meet the fruity breakfast crumble crisp.

A deep layer of juicy chunks of seasonal fruits topped with a thick layer of nutty, oaty crumble crisp. With most of the sweetness coming from the fruit itself and apple sauce in the topping, with just a smidgen of agave syrup, this is one virtuous crumble. I also added white chia seeds to the fruit mix to bulk up the sauce and also give an extra nutritional kick, but these are entirely optional.

Use whichever fruits you like- here I used apple, raspberry and blueberry, but you could use pear instead of the apple, plums instead of the berries or maybe even mango for a tropical trip...combine that with some coconut flakes in the topping!!

P.s it seems that my ‘mugcake’ poacher idea is finding a few fans! Thanks guys.

Recipe: Breakfast crumble crisp

Serves 3

Ingredients

Filling:

2 apples or pears cut into chunks (skin on)

½ cup blueberries or raspberries

Squeeze of half a lemon

1 tbs whole or ground chia seeds

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch salt

1-2 tsp agave syrup (optional to taste)

Topping:

3 tbs apple puree

1 tbs coconut oil- melted

2 tbs agave syrup

1 cup oats

½ cup puffed brown rice (or other cereal)

1/3 cup nuts and seeds mix

½ - 1tsp cinnamon

Method

Mix all filling ingredients together in a medium bowl and spoon into the bottom of a smallish oven proof dish.

For the topping, in a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients together first and then add in the dry  topping ingredients. Mix until well coated then press down firmly and evenly over the fruit layer.

Bake at 180C for approx. 20 mins until topping is golden.

Serve with soy cream or yoghurt if desired.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Crumble topping

Want to whip up a quick healthy dessert?

A bowl of fruit and crumble topped with a blob of soy yoghurt is your five minute answer!

I was reminded to put this post together when the boy grumbled that he was still hungry after the soup I served for lunch a couple of days ago. Five minutes later and we had a nice hot bowl of healthy apple crumble to finish off our meal.

This is a great simple recipe for getting all your fats, carbs and proteins, oh and did I mention it was made from oats…. You know how much I love oats!  Any fruit can be used but I have used apple here. I also used this topping for the fried plantain recipe. So versatile.

Recipe: crumble topping

2 servings

Ingredients:

100g oats

1 to 2 tbs peanut butter

1 to 2 tsp agave nectar

½ tsp cinnamon

Method:

Lightly toast oats in a dry frying pan for a minute or so. Add remaining ingredients and keep moving round pan until melted and the oats a fully coated and just beginning to brown in places. Spoon over desert or fruit… or just eat them as they are (wait a couple of minutes for them to cool first!)

If you are making the apple crumble as pictured. Dice the apple and pan fry this first with a little coconut oil and some cinnamon. Once nearly cooked, add the ingredients as per the method above, or if you’d prefer to have the apple as a base with the crumble on top- keep the apple aside and top with the oats. Finish off with a blog of soy yoghurt or cream.

Plantain experiments

I came across plantain entirely by accident whilst out shopping for something entirely different (no I didn’t find what I was looking for!) A new ethnic food market stall caught my attention and I had a little browse. So many random and exciting things, many of which I’d never even heard of gave rise to many new ideas in my mind. I’ll probably be going back there sometime soon!

I decided to play it safe and not get carried away on my first visit, after all that hadn’t been the reason I’d actually ventured into town. However, I couldn’t help but be seduced by plantain…..

I’d had plantain once before at a bbq where it was cut into thick diagonal slices and simply bbq’d until soft and the pale creamy yellow flesh had turned a deeper shade. It was delicious and I kept coming back for more.

A plantain looks like a ‘big banana’ but the starchy texture makes it more like a cross between a banana and a sweet potato. It can be used in sweet or savoury dishes and either in its green (unripe) or yellow/black (ripe) state. 

Once home, I did a little investigation to see what the options were, having never cooked it before I wanted to do it justice if I could! The most popular recipes seemed to be sweet dessert/brunch type snacks using ripe plantain, either grilled or fried with spices or syrup. An ideal opportunity for a Sunday brunch. So this morning, instead of the usual oats (as much as I love my oats- more on those later), I decided to surprise the boy with cinnamon fried plantain topped with peanut butter oat crumble (ok so I couldn’t quit the oats entirely!!)

Recipe: fried plantain with cinnamon crumble

Serves 2

Ingredients:

One large ripe plantain- sliced on the diagonal approx. 10mm thick

Generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon- approx.. 1 tsp for plantain

1 tbs oil (I use coconut)

2 large tbs soy yoghurt (or more)

For oat topping:

Approx. 50g oats

1 tbs peanut butter

1tsp agave syrup

½ tsp cinnamon

Method:

Heat oil in large frying pan until hot then carefully place strips of plantain covering the pan. Fry on either side for 3-4 minutes until golden yellow and beginning to crisp. Transfer to a side dish and without delay pour the oats into the pan and add the peanut butter, agave and spice. Stir briskly for approx. 2 minutes until the oats are toasted. Assemble the plantain on plates, add a dollop of soy yoghurt to the centre and top with the oat mixture and more yoghurt if prefered.

Mmmmmm…… perfect Sunday brunch!